Once per month, we provide an overview of movies released for the coming weeks, and recommend to our readers where to spend their movie dollars, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers are provided so you can see exactly what we are excited about! Movie release dates are subject to change.

May 1st
It is officially the start of the summer blockbuster season with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. It may not get any bigger than this film, from a Box Office view, this year (at least until the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens this Christmas). In fact, is there anyone you know who is not at least mildly excited to see this one? We sure don’t. Believe it or not, some other studios were still brave enough to schedule release dates coinciding with this giant, most in limited release. Far from the Maddening World is a period piece in Victorian-era England featuring an independent and strong-willed young woman who finds herself with three decidedly different suitors who appeal to aspects of her own personality and desires. The comedy Welcome to Me stars Kristen Wiig as a chemically-dependent woman who hits the lottery and decides to go off of her meds and buy herself a talk show, to extremely off-beat results. Ride is about a wealthy woman who travels cross-country to find her son after she discovers he has dropped out of school to become a surfer. Helen Hunt directs and stars in the lead role. And the British import, Hyena, details the story of a cop with questionable morality who finds himself amidst a drug war between Turkish and Albanian gangs on the streets of London. We will be at the theater along with everyone else to see Marvel’s Phase Two Flagship movie…where else would we be? Enjoy the epic trailer below!

May 8th
The second week of the summer season leads off with the Reese Witherspoon/Sofia Vergara comedy Hot Pursuit, about a cop (Witherspoon) who needs to protect a woman (Vergara) from her mobster husband. The D-Train, featuring Jack Black and James Marsden, will compete for the comedy fan audience with the aforementioned this week, with a twenty year high school reunion planner trying to land the attendance of a classmate turned celebrity to make the event a success. The dramatic comedy 5 Flights Up stars Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton as a married couple, whose life grows complicated when circumstances dictate that they sell their apartment in the city for a change of scenery. Maggie is a horror drama about a midwest farmer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who does his best to remain by the side of his daughter (Abigail Breslin) whose infection requires her quarantine as civilization teeters on the brink of a zombie apocalypse. In the drama Noble, a former orphaned child from Ireland finds her purpose as an adult on the streets of Thailand, helping other misplaced children. The Seven Five is a documentary detailing a cadre of corrupt cops in Brooklyn, NY who become glorified gangsters of the drug trade. And in Skin Trade, Dolph Lundgren plays a NYC detective who partners with a Thai cop (Tony Jaa) to take down a human trafficking ring. The action flick also co-stars Michael Jai White, Ron Perlman, and Peter Weller. Tough call this week, as advance word is that Maggie may be the sleeper pick of the summer with Ahnuld (sic) turning in the finest acting of his career. On top of that, while documentaries are not usually the type of entertainment summer audiences go for, the story is incredibly compelling. And Skin Trade is looking to be a fine pick for the male audience that just wants a man’s man movie. Check out all three trailers below.

May 15th
A lighter release schedule is featured in the last three release weekends in May, as many of the movies from week one and two will undoubtedly receive wider releases. Mad Max; Fury Road will certainly be the movie competing with Avengers for the top slot, as the reigns Mel Gibson so made famous, get turned over to Tom Hardy with some help from Charlize Theron. Pitch Perfect 2 sees Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, and company reunite for another competition on the big stage under the direction of Elizabeth Banks for a sequel to the hit musical comedy. I’ll See You in My Dreams sets out to prove that in life it is never too late to start over as a songstress (Blythe Danner) recently widowed embraces change. I Am Big Bird is a fantastic looking documentary that features the man who has played Big Bird (and Oscar the Grouch) since 1968 with no plans of relinquishing the role that has brought joy to millions anytime soon. Mad Max looks to be the winner here, and could be the start of a new old franchise. The action pieces look intense and beautifully apocalyptic as you can see in the trailer below. Please also check out the I Am Big Bird trailer as well.

May 22nd
George Clooney and Britt Robertson take on the lead roles in the newest live action Disney movie, Tomorrowland, which looks to be a fun action-oriented movie for the whole family. Spy features CIA desk jockey Melissa McCarthy taking over as a field agent to take down a global arms dealer in proper comedic form. Another found footage sci-fi horror flick, Area 51, also hits theaters in limited release. Feast your eyes on our pick, Tomorrowland, below.

May 29th
The final week of the first month of summer introduces us to the Dwayne Johnson disaster flick, San Andreas, which follows a helicopter rescue pilot who searches for his daughter in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake. Insidious: Chapter 3 is actually a prequel which brings us the story of gifted psychic Elise Rainer’s first, albeit reluctant, assistance of helping a person plagued by a malevolent entity. Aloha stars Bradley Cooper as a miltary contractor whose epic professional blunder has him retracing his steps to the place of his greatest success and then finding himself in a love triangle with his old flame (Rachel McAdams) and the Air Force handler (Emma Stone) assigned to him. The great cast also includes Alec Baldwin and Bill Murray. And Barely Lethal has Hailee Steinfeld as a teen who escapes a life of being a trained assassin for a chance at high school normality when she goes AWOL. The comedy action movie also stars Samuel L Jackson, Jessica Alba, and Jaime King. Aloha could be the understated pick of the week. Here is the trailer below. But if you want some mindless big effects movie, go check out California falling into the ocean.

Once per month, we provide an overview of movies released for the coming weeks, and recommend to our readers where to spend their movie dollars, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers are provided so you can see exactly what we are excited about! Movie release dates are subject to change.

April 3rd
We are back with another edition of Fresh Popped Corn, and kicking off this month is the much anticipated Furious 7. Rarely is there a movie that is released featuring such a tragic and dramatic back story as the untimely death of Paul Walker caused shockwaves through the production and left the fate of the film in doubt. Fans of the series are poised today to see what road Furious 7 will take now in the wake of the tragedy. Helen Mirren, Katie Holmes, and Ryan Reynolds star in the drama Woman in Gold about a Jewish woman who takes on the government for rights over artwork she believes belongs to her family. In the comedic drama 5 to 7, Anton Yelchin about a writer who starts an affair with a married woman. Lambert and Stamp is a documentary about two aspiring filmmakers who become the unlikely co-managers of soon to be famous The Who. And Dakota Fanning stars in the drama Effie Gray, about a scandalous love triangle between an art critic, a painter, and a teenage girl. Furious 7 will undoubtedly be top of the box office and we must admit that we are hooked on the human interest aspect of this one. Check out the trailer below.

April 10th
The second week of April brings with it the Sci-Fi drama Ex Machina, about a young programmer who becomes taken by a fascinating A.I. in female form, and becomes wrapped up in a very unconventional psychological test. The Longest Ride, adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, features Clint Eastwood’s son Scott and Britt Robertson as a young couple whose romance becomes entwined in the past of an older man who has just survived an automobile accident. Desert Dancer is the true story of a man who begins a dance company in the heart of Iran’s volatile political climate. Juliette Binoche plays an actress who re-visits the dawn of her career when she takes part in a revival of the play that 20 years before started her professional life in Clouds of Sils Maria. Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz co-star. In Kill Me Three Times, Simon Pegg plays a hitman who finds himself in murderous mayhem after a botched assigmnent. To be honest, it is not an earth-shattering week for new releases, but Ex Machina looks like it could be a sleeper.

April 17thPaul Blart: Mall Cop 2 headlines the third week of the month, as Kevin James returns to his roll as an accident-prone security guard. In Unfriended, a group of online chatters are stalked by someone or something using the profile of their departed friend, who had committed suicide a year before. In Self/Less, Ben Kingley plays a wealthy man who attempts to embrace immortality by tranferring his being into the body of a younger “empty vessel” with unexpected and chilling effects. Ryan Reynolds co-stars. Child 44 is a dramatic thriller about a miltary policeman during Stalin-era Soviet Russia who investigates a string of brutal child murders. Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman star. Monkey Kingdom is a Disney-produced documentary. In the drama True Story, a struggling reporter (Jonah Hill) is pulled into the big story when a man in prison for murdering his family (James Franco) chooses him to tell his tale. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a driven professional Mom whose life goes in upheaval after her stay-at-home husband leaves her in Alex of Venice. Monsters: Dark Continent is the sequel to the movie that started Director Gareth Edwards big sci fi movie career. And Michael Douglas plays a filthy rich mogul who looks for the thrill of big game in the high desert, and ends up in a game of cat and mouse with his young guide (Jeremy Irvine) after an accidental murder puts the two on a collision course in Beyond the Reach. Unlike the previous week, there seems to be several interesting films to choose from. While the new Michael Douglas film looks good, we are giving the edge to the compelling looking Child 44, as well as the Hill/Franco drama True Story. Check out both trailers below and let us know what you think!

April 24th
The final week of the month features the Blake Lively/Harrison Ford romantic drama The Age of Adaline, which tells the story of a young woman whose car accident leaves her with a condition that sees the end of her aging process and the long-term ramifications it has on her life. Little Boy, a WWII comedic drama about the power of one boy’s love for his father, finally debuts after being bumped from its original March release date (starring Kevin James). In The Water Diviner, Russel Crowe goes in search of the remains of his three dead sons after they all perish on the same day in the Battle of Gallipoli. Adult Beginners, with Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale, is about a young entrepreneur who crashes and burns on the eve of his company’s big launch and goes to live with his estranged pregnant sister’s family, only to become their nanny. And finally, Misery Loves Company, is a documentary that brings together over fifty funny American and Canadian personalities to discuss their professional journeys and insights in an effort to shed light on the thesis, “Do you have to be miserable to be funny?” Age of Adaline looks to be the winner of this group. Here is the trailer below.

Once per month, we provide an overview of movies released for the coming weeks, and recommend to our readers where to spend their movie dollars, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers are provided so you can see exactly what we are excited about! Movie release dates are subject to change.

March 6th
Welcome back to another month of Hollywood and beyond’s newest releases to your local theaters. March kicks off with the much anticipated Chappie, which features a robot that oozes personality. We still fondly remember Short Circuit with Steve Guttenberg, but this time we get an evil Hugh Jackman (yes, he is playing the BAD GUY!) trying to take out Number 5, er Chappie the break dancing robot! So, what else might be in store for those of you not interested in that sci-fi robot interest story? Well, we have a movie sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel hits theaters with an impressive cast that includes Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Richard Gere, and Dev Patel. The 2011 original was a pleasant surprise and here is to hoping that the second go around is as enjoyable. Next up, comedy fans will have Unfinished Business to seek their teeth into, starring Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, and Dave “Brother of James” Franco as a group of businessmen travel to Europe to seal a deal and have their worlds turned upside down. Meanwhile, for you documentary fans there is Merchants of Doubt, which profiles the paid pundits who are paid to go on TV to talk about all sorts of topics ranging from pharmaceuticals to climate change. Chappie is going to be where the money is at this week, but it is The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel that has us most intrigued. Both look like fine choices for March’s first weekend at the theater (especially with the advanced critical buzz) and they are appealing to much different groups. Check out both trailers below and tell us what you think!

March 13th
Disney gets its box office engine going again with the release of the live action Cinderella. We have the adorable Lily James as the title character along with Haley Atwell, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, and Stellan Skarsgard heading an outstanding cast for the re-imagining of this classic. Will the Maleficent formula work for Cinderella? The forecast looks bright, we think. Liam Neeson takes another turn as a vengeful dude with a gun in Run All Night. He might be type cast at this point, but people seem to like that. Horror fans are in store for a little nod to the 80’s style genre film with It Follows, starring Maika Monroe. In Seymour: An Introduction, Ethan Hawke directs a documentary about Piano instructor Seymour Bernstein. A little bit of everything in week two you could say. Once again, we offer you two trailers appealing to two decidedly different audiences with Cinderella and It Follows.

March 20th
Shailene Woodley returns with the second installment of the Divergent series with Insurgent, ensuring that the teen to twenty-somethings will be flocking to the theaters. Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, and Idris Elba star in The Gunman, about a former military man and contractor with PTSD who must trek across Europe to clear his name of atrocities and expose the truth of his service. The people who brought us God’s Not Dead return with Do You Believe, about a dozen people whose lives unexpectedly intersect as they search for deeper meaning in their existence, starring Mora Sorvino, Lee Majors, Alex PenaVega, Sean Astin, and more. An intriguing independent movie, Kumiko Treasure Hunter, stars Rinko Kikuchi as a Japanese girl who discovers the movie Fargo on videotape and becomes convinced it holds the secrets to a lost treasure in America. In Danny Collins, Al Pacino plays a washed up rock star who attempts to recapture old glory after the discovery of a letter personally written to him by John Lennon. Annette Benning and Jennifer Garner co-star. And in Spring, a young man escapes to Italy from the USA amidst personal crisis only to involve himself with a woman who is not what she appears to be in this seemingly H.P. Lovecraft-inspired horror. When looking at the line-up of movies on paper, we were surprised to find that Danny Collins had such a charming trailer. And The Gunman looks to be the other big winner in our eyes this week. Check out both below!

March 27th
The last weekend of the month boasts a hefty lineup beginning with the new Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, about a milquetoast dude whose pending prison sentence requires him to toughen up. The animated Home features the vocal talents of Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin, and Jennifer Lopez about an inept alien race that seeks to hide from their sworn enemies. Kiddies all over the place with this Dreamworks release! Next up is Serena, a depression-era drama starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, about a timber tycoon whose future is uncertain after his marriage to the title character. Cupcakes is a comedy out of Israel about a group of friends who become unlikely contestants in a world talent show when their mobile mock-up of the Israeli entry into the show goes viral. The Riot Club is a UK offering about a couple of Oxford students whose drinking and drugging exploits, as part of an aristocratic club that believes money can buy anything, lead to even greater sins. And finally, in the comedy While We’re Young stars Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts as a couple whose lives are in upheaval following the involvement of a younger couple played by Amanda Seyfried, and Adam Driver. It seems a good time to get some laughs in our cinematic diet, and the new Ferrell/Hart combo may be just the movie to provide them. Check out the trailer below.

See you next month for the April trailers. In the meantime, share with us what you are looking forward to seeing this month at the movies!

Once per month, we will be taking a look at movies released for the upcoming month, and telling our readers where we would be spending our movie dollars each week, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers will be provided so you can see just what we are so excited about. Movie release dates are subject to change.

February 6th

We are back again for another round of movie trailers for films opening in February. And up first, it would seem to be a pretty exciting week to ward off the winter blues. First up, we have Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum in the sci-fi blockbuster Jupiter Ascending. But there may be some reservation after hearing that this was supposed to be served up to audiences last summer and was instead dumped to the post-Christmas studio graveyard months. Time will tell! For the fantasy action fans out there, Seventh Son hits theaters based on the popular book series by Orson Scott Card. Featuring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore, there is no doubting the acting talent within the film but will the result measure up to the bar set by other recent fantasy fare, most notably Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy? For the kids, there is The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water…..yeah, I just don’t get the appeal of this one (speaking from the standpoint of someone who loves kid movies). And rounding out the first week is Ballet 422, a documentary that takes you backstage at the New York City ballet. Our money is on Jupiter Ascending, after a strong-looking trailer, that will at least impress visually. Hoping that the release date does not foretell our worst case scenario that could result in this one being one spectacular inter-galactic flop.

February 13th

Leading off the second week of the month is Kingsman: The Secret Service stars Colin Firth in an unlikely action star role based on the comic book mini-series by Mark Millar. Samuel Jackson lends his support as the chief villain. The controversial Fifty Shades of Grey will certainly do strong box office as curious moviegoers seek some scandalous entertainment with Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan headlining. Serving as the counter-point to Fifty Shades, more traditional Valentine romantics will have Old-Fashioned as a cineplex option about a two former free spirits who meet and do their best to engage in a committed courtship amidst the challenges offered by a contemporary society. In The Last Five Years, an actress (Anna Kendrick) and novelist (Jeremy Jordan) navigate and deconstruct their love affair in a dramatic comedy based on a Broadway musical. And in What We Do in the Shadows, a trio of vampires living as flatmates struggle through problems like paying the bills, splitting the chores, and developing their social lives in a new spin on the blood-sucker genre. We want action tonight, and if Kingsman delivers on the big screen as well as Millar delivered in his comic book about drafting a directionless street kid into super spy service, then we will be very pleased!

February 20th

Hot Tub Time Machine 2, a John Cusack-less comedy sequel rolls into theaters to attempt to bring laughter to crowds of people who may or may not have had to shovel two feet a snow to get out of their driveways. Those of you that did just that will likely need a real hot tub, however, instead of this particular movie ticket. Bella Thorne stars in The Duff, about a girl who has been labelled the Designated Ugly Fat Friend to a group of popular girls (has anyone else ever heard this term before?). This one was adapted from a novel by Kody Keplinger. Kevin Costner takes the lead in McFarland, USAwith Maria Bello in support. In this one Costner plays a cross-country coach who helps to bring an unlikely group of athletes to the edge of glory. After visting the stars in week one, getting all rowdy in the streets of London in week two, we are more than ready for an uplifting sports story and McFarland, USA could do for the sport of cross-country what Rudy did for college football on the big screen. It has to be better than Chariots of Fire, right? LOL.

February 27th

We round out the shortest month of the year with a longer list of new releases than seen in the previous three weeks. Focus tells the tale of a master con-artist (Will Smith) who takes an attractive and charismatic female (Margot Robbie) under his wing but things get more complicated as their attraction to each other grows. A seven year old boy is willing and maybe even able to do whatever it takes to reunite with his father who is away fighting in WWII in the movie Little Boy, starring Michael Rappaport and Kevin James. In The Lazarus Effect, starring Olivia Wilde and Mark Duplass, a team of researchers attempt to play God with a new serum that can bring life back to the dead with horrible consequences. David Cronenberg directs Maps to the Stars, featuring Julianne Moore (her second starring role of the month), about a seriously messed up Hollywood family chasing celebrity and their station in life in what appears to be a creepy film. It also stars John Cusack (who escaped the Hot Tub Time Machine apparently) and Mia Wasikowska. In ’71, a British soldier fights for survival after finding himself stranded in Belfast after riots tear through the city, starring Jack O’Connell. And finally, Everly features Salma Hayek as a deadly woman who is targeted for assassination in what appears to be a cross between Smokin’ Aces and Kill Bill. In a move not typical for us, we are taking the foreign film as our top pick of this crop. ’71 looks to be a riveting movie based on a true story.

And that wraps another installment of Fresh Popped Corn, but we first want to know what YOU will be watching this month?

Once per month, we will be taking a look at movies released for the upcoming month, and telling our readers where we would be spending our movie dollars each week, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers will be provided so you can see just what we are so excited about. Movie release dates are subject to change.

October 3rdGone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, leads off the month. It’s a thriller/mystery adapted from a Gillian Flynn novel, which has Affleck playing a man whose wife goes missing and becomes the subject of the investigation. The Good Lie, stars Reese Witherspoon as a young woman who is determined to help refugees from war-torn Africa begin a new life in America. What Friday in October would be complete without a horror movie? To fill that gap comes Annabelle, from the makers of The Conjuring (a highly successful genre film) about a doll that has become the home of an demon. Men, Women & Children features Adam Sandler’s return to dramatic roles and revolves around the secret lives being lives by everyone with access to social media. Nicholas Cage stars in the relaunch of the Left Behind series, which revolves around the Biblical theme of the rapture. And rounding out the first week of our favorite fall month, The Hero of Color City will try to draw in (pun very much intended) the youngsters as a heroic group of crayons attempt to save their magical and colorful world from a monstrous threat. Gone Girl is looking like the clear winner amongst this grouping. Check out the trailer below.

October 10th
This week boasts a ton of new releases (most in limited fashion). Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Bad Day stars Steve Carrel and Jennifer Garner as a married couple whose family goes through the worst day collectively of their lives in comic delivery. The Judge stars Robert Downey Jr. as a trial lawyer who returns home to represent his father, an aging judge, who is charged with vehicular homocide of a man who he happened to be in his courtroom not long before. Robert Duval plays the accused. Dracula Untold stars Luke Evans in the reimagining of the classic horror tale, done for the masses in PG-13 form. Addicted is an erotic thriller about a woman (Sharon Leal) whose marriage to a busy husband (Boris Kodjoe) is threatened by the allure of another man, who develops an unhealthy fascination for the unhappy housewife. Miles Teller is a drummer whose dream of making the big time causes him to give up everything for the pursuit in Whiplash. Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy star in St. Vincent about a man who becomes a very imperfect mentor for a woman’s young next door neighbor son in what may be the most subdued movie I have seen from the usually boisterous McCarthy. Jeremy Renner is a reporter uncovering government plots in the Iran-Contra inspired Kill the Messenger. A coup[le of documentaries also grace the release schedule with I Am Ali, about the famous boxer, and The Overnighters, which gives us a look at the plight of the American worker with North Dakota industry set as the background. Dead Snow 2 is a highly unnecessary and cheesy zombie sequel about undead Nazi soldiers. And The Devil’s Hand looks to be a cross between the salem witch trials and an M Nigh Shymalan film about six young women believed to be born under a demonic prophecy in a small religious village called New Bethlehem. The star-power of Duval and RDJ is too much for us to resist, however, and with that please check out the trailer for The Judge below.

October 17th
It’s another heavy release week with the Brad Pitt WWII action/drama Fury kicking things off. One thing that can’t help be noticed is the comparisons to Pitt’s delivery and performance in The Inglorious Bastards, which we can only hope does not distract from what seems to be a very entertaining and serious war film. The Book of Life is an animated entry with the vocal talents of Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Zoe Saldana and more as two men vie for the attention of a princess and one must go to extraordinary lengths to win her over. The Best of Me is a Nicolas Sparks story about a man and woman who used to be high school sweethearts but were separated amidst a tragedy only to reunite years later for another chance. Birdman has the great Michael Keaton playing a washed up actor who attempts to revive the superhero role that made him famous for a big Broadway production. A serial killer terrorizes a community in the horror remake The Town That Dreaded Sundown, In the comedy Dear White People, a college community is confronted with the question of what racism really is when the school newspaper embarks on a well-meaning and possibly misguided interactive story. Kristen Stewart plays a Guantanamo Bay guard, and develops a relationship with one of the detainees in the drama Camp X-Ray. And in Listen Up Philly, Jason Schwartzman plays a narcissistic writer on the verge of notoriety when he is taken under the wing of a mentor. With Halloween approaching, and the threat of Brad Pitt’s snarling delivery tainting an otherwise good looking film, we are going with the horror film as we excitedly prepare for the spookiest day of the year. Check out the trailer to The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

October 24th
As we inch closer to All Hallow’s Eve, another spook finds itself amongst us in Universal’s Ouija, as a bunch of kids who lose a good friend decide to try to contact her on the other side to some unintended and disastrous results (starring Olivia Cooke). Keanu Reaves plays an ex-hitman who decides to go all Liam Neeson on everyone when he gets pulled back in by an attack that takes everything he cares about in John Wick. White Bird in a Blizzard is a bizarre looking drama starring Shailene Woodley as a blossoming young woman whose mother (Eva Green) mysteriously disappears and she looks to figure out what happened, revealing family secrets that she never knew. Laggies is a comedic drama about another kind of young woman (Kiera Knightley) who struggles with her transition to adulthood and begins hanging with a much younger crowd, befriending a man’s (Sam Rockwell) daughter (Chloe Grace-Moretz). To finish things out, the Edward Snowden documentary Citizensfour heads to Hong Kong in search of his story. Nothing particularly excites us here, so we are going to backtrack and go see Fury from the previous week’s releases. We can do that here, can’t we? That’s not cheating, right? 😉

October 31st
Happy Halloween folks!!!!!!! After all of the kiddies have visited your house with their creative, scary, funny, and ever so cute costume choices, you may have saved just a couple of candy bars to slip into your pockets for your trip out to the theater. Don’t worry. We won’t tell the nice man collecting your ticket. Daniel Radcliffe continues to shake the Harry Potter schtick, this time taking on the roll of a young man whose girlfriend turns up dead. As he is investigated for the crime he claims that he did not commit, he awakens one morning to a strange abnormality…..horns growing from him head. The movie is aptly titled Horns and is adapted from the bestselling book of Stephen King’s own son, Joe Hill. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a guy just looking for a job in LA when he stumbles upon the profession of recording crimes as they happen, selling the footage to new agencies for pay, in the thriller Nightcrawler. The ABC’s of Death 2 features another 26 short horror vignettes from 26 directors. And Before I Go To Sleep features Nicole Kidman as a woman whose form of amnesia causes her to awake every morning as a blank slate, and must discover the cause of her condition. Colin Firth co-stars. Nightcrawler provides us a very compelling trailer, though being fans of Joe Hill makes us quite interested in the quirky-looking Horns as well. So, we shall give you both trailers and let you decide for yourself.

Once per month, we will be taking a look at movies released for the upcoming month, and telling our readers where we would be spending our movie dollars each week, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers will be provided so you can see just what we are so excited about. Movie release dates are subject to change.

July 2nd through July 4th
Hollywood got a jump on the Holiday weekend and celebrated America’s independence by releasing most of the new stuff to audiences on Wednesday of this week. So, by the time you are reading this column, you may have even made it out to the theaters to see something new! For the rest of us, however, who have not had similar experience, here is the line up! Melissa McCarthy plays a down and out woman who is just having a terrible week including losing her job, car troubles, and more in the comedy Tammy. Earth to Echo takes the found footage approach for a Goonies/E.T. type of adventure for the whole family. Eric Bana and Olivia Munn confront a malevolent force gripping New York City in Deliver Us From Evil. And in limited release, Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo find a connection and creative inspiration in the ashes of her relationship to new found celebrity Adam Levine in the drama Begin Again. In the aftermath of Transformers: Age of Extinction walloping all of the competition last week, we are not sure if any of these releases will muster the ticket sales to overcome the Michael Bay juggernaut, but we do know that Earth to Echo looks like the perfect movie to take the whole family to this weekend. Check out the trailer below.

July 11thDawn of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters, as the sequel to the successful James Franco-fronted film. Franco is not around for the follow-up but this movie is all about his ape counterpart Caesar (played by Andy Serkis). Gary Oldman and Keri Russel are also on board. Boyhood is an intriguing look at a young man who has been periodically filmed every year for the past twelve years and co-starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. The title really tells all you need to know about the theme of a time capsule look at life in developmental stages. Quite a revolutionary concept if you ask us, from Director Richard Linklater! A Long Way Down is the story of four strangers of varied backgrounds who meet on the roof of a building under some bad circumstances but develop a family/support group type relationship as they help each other overcome struggles. The movie stars Pierce Brosnan, Imogen Poots, Sam Niel, and Rosamund Pike. Land Ho! is a movie of two seniors who used to be brothers in law who attempt to rekindle a desire for life and adventure on a trip to Iceland done for laughs. Rage is Nicholas Cage doing a Taken-esque style thriller as a man’s daughter is kidnapped from her home in brutal fashion leaving Cage to confront the Russian mob and get her back. And So It Goesis a mature comedy starring Michael Douglas as an unlikeable successful realtor who is left in charge of his granddaughter. Diane Keaton co-stars. And finally, WWE Films presents Jason Momoa (of Game of Thrones fame) as writer, director, and star of a movie that follows a Native American man on the run after avenging his mother’s death in Road to Paloma. For us, there are two very solid picks this week with decidedly different audiences. Check out the trailers for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Boyhood below!

July 18th
Cameron Diaz and Jason Segal are a married couple who decide to spice up their intimacy by filming themselves and then deal with the consequences of it accidentally getting upload to the cloud in the comedy Sex Tape. In far more family fare, Disney releases Planes: Fire and Rescue as the sequel to a movie that was originally supposed to go direct to DVD. The Purge: Anarchy is another sequel targeting the 18-30 male crowd as another group of people look to survive the chaos in an America that makes all crime legal for a 12 hour period every year. In I, Origins a man of science (Michael Pitt) and a woman of faith are brought together by an attraction he does not quite understand and when he loses it, his quest begins to solve the unexplainable. In Persecuted, an evangelical preacher is framed for a murder by forces attempting to bend his will politically and he is forced to undergo a campaign to clear his name, starring Dean Stockwell, James Remar, and Bruce Davison. Wish I Was Here is a comedy starring Zach Braff and Kate Hudson. A husband is forced to deal with his own identity and direction as circumstances cause him to have to begin homeschooling his children. And finally, Alive Inside, is a documentary about the power of music in the elderly and infirm, and its ability to open passages to memory and experience. For us, The Purge: Anarchy is looking like a pretty grim but choice in an otherwise underwhelming week. Here is the trailer for your viewing pleasure (sic).

July 25th
The last week of July brings us The Rock starring as Hercules! We know it is the second movie out this calendar year about the mythical character, but it appears to be the better of the two. The Fluffy Movie is a stand-up comedy show by Gabriel Iglesias. Lucy stars Scarlett Johansson as a woman being used to transport a mysterious weapon but turns the tables on the people who would use her as a pawn. Happy Christmas, starring Anna Kendrick as an irresponsible young woman who goes to live with her brother and his family, and causing a bit if upheaval for all parties. Magic in the Moonlight is a Woody Allen film starring Colin Firth and Emma Stone. The romantic comedy tells the story of a man who is brought in to debunk a fortune teller’s abilities. Step Up: All In is the fifth movie in the dance-themed drama that brings together many of the previous installments characters. A Most Wanted Man will be one of the last movies we see starring the recently departed Philip Seymour Hoffman, which follows the harrowing tale of a Chechen man in Germany who gets caught up in the war on terror. Very Good Girls star Dakotah Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as virtuous friends whose relationships are challenged by romantic interests in a bit of a coming of age film. We are all over the A Most Wanted Man this week, even though we are thoroughly intrigued by both Hercules and Lucy.

Once per month, we will be taking a look at movies released for the upcoming month, and telling our readers where we would be spending our movie dollars each week, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers will be provided so you can see just what we are so excited about. Movie release dates are subject to change.

June 6th

Tom Cruise looks to reverse his declining ticket sale trends with another sci fi action flick called The Edge of Tomorrow, also starring Emily Blunt. Looks like a cross between Halo and Ground Hog Day to us, and a good friend of Great Stories who had the privilege of seeing it at a special showing said it was a great flick. The Fault in Our Stars has Shailene Woodley and Angel Elgort as cancer survivors who strike up an unlikely and challenging romance after meeting in a support group. The Moment stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Martin Henderson star in a psychological thriller or a photographer who becomes convinced she is guilty of the murder or her lover. Jenny Slate is a stand-up comedian who goes through personal crisis (no, not losing the person who writes all her funny lines) in the movie Obvious Child. In The Sacrament, the menace of a Jonestown-like cult is brought to life as a documentary team goes in search of one of the team’s family members. Supermensch is an expose on legendary Hollywood manager Shep Gordon who has made stars in many musicians and actors. Mike Myers directs and shows his search for happiness amidst a sea of celebrity. And finally, Trust Me boasts Agent Coulson, er Clark Gregg, as a Hollywood agent struggling to make a name for himself and may have found his ticket with the next big thing. The movie co-stars Amanda Peet and Sam Rockwell. Our pick for the first week is with the horror thriller, The Sacrament. Check out the trailer below.

June 13th

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have the comedy sequel 22 Jump Street headlining the second week of June. A bit “meh” if you ask us since the first was not all that entertaining. Come on Hollywood…stop remaking or rehashing old properties and give us more original material! How to Train Your Dragon 2 will drive the kiddies and their parents to the theaters with the voice talents of Gerard Butler, Kristen Wiig, and Jonah Hill (that’s right….two films in one weekend for him!). Ivory Tower is a documentary on the astronomical rise in the cost of education and mounting student loan debts. Hellion stars Aaron Paul as a single dad whose family is spinning out of control. I Am I is a drama finding a woman who attempts to re-connect with her ailing father, only to have him believe that she is his departed wife. Lullaby stars Amy Adams and Garett Hedlund in a film about an estranged son who comes back to the family after his long-dying father decides to take himself off of life support…..OK, can we get off the downer already? It’s summer for crying eye! The Rover is a post-apocalyptic revenge flick starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattison. And finally, Laurence Fishburn stars in a sci-fi thriller, The Signal, about two MIT hackers who cross paths with a rival and uncover a sinister plot in the middle of the New Mexican desert. OK, we are seriously at a loss this week folks. If you have a kid, grab him/her and go see a nice family film even though we admit to not having seen the first movie. BAD GREAT STORIES BLOGGERS ….BAD! Guess we will be renting that one from Netflix before the 13th!

June 20th

Back on track this week with the release of the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons biopic, Jersey Boys (also a pretty popular broadway musical) with Clint Eastwood at the helm. Think Like A Man Too has Kevin Hart drumming up laughs again with a pretty solid supporting cast as he and his cohorts hit Vegas to party it up and exchange nuptials. In Third Person, Liam Neeson takes a break from kicking some butt to work through some psychological baggage as a writer who leaves his wife and re-connects with a lover in Paris while two other separate yet inter-connected plot lines weave themselves through (Crash-style). James Franco, Mila Kunis, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, and Adrian Brody all star alongside in this drama. A light week for sure, but we are looking forward to taking a trip back in time to see the rise of a pop sensation……take a look at the Jersey Boys trailer!

June 26th

We finish out the month of June strong with another huge blockbuster, as only Michael Bay can provide, in Transformers: Age of Extinction. This time, Shia LaBeouf gets traded for Mark Wahlberg, and the results look to be promising. We say this after having absolutely despised part two of this series, but we’ll let bygones be bygones after part three put the Transformers series back in good standing. Snowpiercer has Chris Evans fighting for his right of survival in a brave new world…..on a train housing the survivors of an ice age brought on by natural disaster flavor of the decade Global Warming. It is based on a French graphic novel, which is something we always support…..yes, so many good stories to be had in the world of comics. Keep ’em coming! And nothing else to report for the last week of June, as these two potential blockbusters will be battling for supremacy. And for this reason, we will give you both trailers and let you decide which is the best movie to see before we set foot over the mid-year point of 2014!

Once per month, we will be taking a look at movies released for the upcoming month, and telling our readers where we would be spending our movie dollars each week, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers will be provided so you can see just what we are so excited about. Movie release dates are subject to change.

May 2nd
It is the week of the spider true believers, and you know that legions of like-minded folks will be flocking to their local cinema to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2, including us! For those non-Pater Parker fans there are precious few choices to be had as there is only one other wide release film going up against the Sony Picture juggernaut. But you may be able to catch one of the limited release films if you are lucky. Friended to Death is a comedy about an unlikeable fellow who tries to prove how much he is valued when he fakes his own death and monitors the response on social media. Mr. Jones is a thriller about a couple who are filmmakers looking for inspiration for a new creative work when the run afoul of a strange neighbor to deadly result. Whitewash stars Thomas Hayden Church as a snowplow operator who accidentally kills a man and attempts to bury his sin and run away from his guilt in a promising looking thriller. Walk of Shame stars the lovely Elizabeth Banks as a news anchor trying to break through to the big time and gets her chance before her choices and fate attempts to derail her in this comedy, which also happens to be the only other wide release film of the week. Decoding Annie Parker is a drama about a woman who pursues a research breakthrough on genetic code after being diagnosed with breast cancer. And finally, Belle, is a period film about a young mixed race girl in England who, along with her lover, attempt to break social stigmas and gain acceptance. Check out the trailers for Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Whitewash, which are our top selections!

May 9th
A big release week follows with Seth Rogan’s next raunchy comedic entry in Neighbors, co-starring Zac Efron and Rose Byrne as a young couple with child deal with the young men from a fraternity who move in next door. Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return is an animated feature based on IDW’s iteration of the famous characters as they bring a whole new support cast to the Wizard of Oz world. The voice talents of Lea Michelle, Patrick Stewart, Jim Belushi, Kelsey Grammer, Dan Akroyd, and Martin Short are all featured. Mom’s Night Out stars Sean Astin, Sarah Drew, Patricia Heaton and The Snake King himself (people who have seen Courageous know what I am taking about) in a family comedy about a woman who needs a break from the real world and attempts a night out with her friends with unexpected results. Chef is a Jon Favreau film about a daring culinary genius who won’t operate by the rules and decides to strike out on his own in a beaten down truck to pedal his creations. The movie also stars Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, and John Leguizamo…what a cast! God’s Pocket is Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s last complete film-making effort as he stars as a man in a tough predicament after his stepson is killed in a construction “accident”. Mad Men’s Christina Hendrick’s stars as his very unhappy wife. Jesse Eisenberg is a desk clerk for a shadowy government organization whose life take a strange turn when he confronts a clone of himself in The Double. Devil’s Knot tells the true story of three horrific child murders in the deep south and the teens who are accused of the grisly act but are not necessarily guilt. Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth star. In Palo Alto, James Franco and Emma Roberts star in a drama about some angst-filled teens and the trouble they find. And finally, Stage Fright stars Minnie Driver in a whacky horror/comedy musical. The allure of Chef’s cast is making that selection tough to beat, but if you have the kids in tow, you could probably do worse than checking out Mom’s Night Out. Here are both trailers for your enjoyment!

May 16thGodzilla invades theaters nationwide this week, and we are completely fired up to see this movie rip that abomination starring Matthew Broderick in 1998 right from our minds! Disney unleashes a movie based on a reality show called Million Dollar Arm, featuring a talent scout who goes to India to find the next big thing. The movie stars Jon Hamm and Lake Bell. A Night in Old Mexico has Robert Duvall as an old cowboy who takes his grandson on a misguided adventure that has them run afoul of gangsters and vagrants of all types in an effort to not go quietly into twilight. A Short History of Decay features Brian Greenberg and Emmanuelle Chriqui as former lovers and writers who have taken different tracks of success and personal loss in a comedic drama. Don Peyote is a stoner’s psychedelic journey into conspiracy theory that just looks a bit too strange for our taste in spite of an interesting cast including Dan Fogler, Josh Duhamel, Jay Baruchel, Anne Hathaway, Wallace Shawn, and Toher Grace. Half of the Yellow Sun looks like a promising drama set in 1960’s Nigeria as a wealth family is fractured by a betrayal of sisters starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetal Eijofor. Joaquin Phoenix helps a young woman deemed too sick to enter the United States on Ellis Island in The Immigrant, co-starring Marion Cotillard. And almost a decade late, Wolf Creek 2 features Australia’s favorite psychotic villain wreaking more havoc and munching on more human trail mix in the form of unsuspecting backpackers (yawn). Here is the mean lizard for your viewing pleasure!

May 23rd
Marvel’s X-Men hit the big screen, once again, and marks the second big comic book splash of the month with X-Men: Days of Future Past. All the characters you loved from the last few movies in a giant ensemble featuring both the First Class cast alongside the long-running players. The storyline featured is one of the most popular in the entire X-Men comic run to date, so bet on a big showing! Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore re-unite on screen for Blended, a story of two families coming together even after an epic fail first date between two single parents. The Angriest Man in Brooklyn looks like the better comedy, however, as Robin Williams plays a dyspeptic man given 90 minutes to live by his doctor (played by Mila Kunis). How does such a man make right all his old scores. You’ll have to watch to find out. Cold in July looks like a great thriller with Dexter, er I mean Michael C Hall, being tormented by a very sinister Sam Shepard. Tracks is an Australian film that tells the true story of a woman who set out to traverse 2000 miles of the dangerous outback. And finally, Words and Pictures has Clive Owen struggling as a teacher to a generation whose educational values lay far afield from his own. Juliette Binoche co-stars. Our picks are X-Men and Cold in July. Enjoy the trailers!

May 30th
Disney looks to top the charts again as Angelina Jolie stars as Maleficent, a faerie who goes bad due to a betrayal that turns her heart to stone. The untold story of the villain from the classic Sleeping Beauty. Seth MacFarlane directs and stars in A Million Ways to Die in the West, facing off against outlaw Liam Neeson as a sheep farmer tries to find his courage in the brave new frontier. Looks like epic fun. In limited release, The Grand Seduction is a comedy starring Brendan Gleeson about an Irish town badly in need of finding a doctor to fill the town’s need of opening a factory to provide jobs. James MacEvoy stars as a morally-corrupt cop who relishes in the more seedy aspects of his profession in the appropriately named Filth. And Night Moves is a eco-terror thriller that centers around two young corrupted idealists played by Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning. Lots of good choices this week, but our money is on the limited release Night Moves. Check it out here.

Thanks for checking out another edition of Fresh Popped Corn. What movies are you most looking forward to seeing this month? We would love to hear from you!

Once per month, we will be taking a look at movies released for the upcoming month, and telling our readers where we would be spending our movie dollars each week, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers will be provided so you can see just what we are so excited about. Movie release dates are subject to change.

April 4th

Let’s cut right to the proverbial chase. April starts out in a big way as the blockbuster Captain America: The Winter Soldier storms into theaters. The fate of the box office top spot was sealed the moment Marvel/Disney put this one on the calendar, and it appears from all the advance word that its top perch will be greatly justified as it is being billed as Marvel’s best movie to date in many circles. Color me ecstatic to see it, but let’s also review some of the other contenders for left-over ticket sales. Jesse Bradford and Virginia Williams tell us the 10 Rules for Sleeping Around (as if that was ever a good idea) in this raunchy comedy. Two friends attempt to find out what the heck is going on when one of the two is stricken with a mysterious virus that enhances his strength but take away his humanity in the horror flick Afflicted. Steve Coogan tries to make amends for his mistakes as a broadcast journalist in the off-beat comedy Alan Partridge. Jude Law takes a markedly different turn as an ex-con who adjust to life after being released from prison in another off-beat comedy Dom Hemingway. Stellan Skaarsgard tries to help Halle Berry who plays a women with a split personality in the drama Frankie and Alice. In the docu-drama The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden, Cate Blanchett provides one of the voice-overs for the true life tale of a German couple who embark on a strange journey of isolation on one of the islands and receive some interesting from the rest of the world. In the Blood features Gina Carano(prize fighter turned actress) as a woman whose husband disappears on the Caribbean honeymoon setting her on a dangerous path of criminal underworld elements against whom she seeks justice. It’s PG-13 horror time in the supernatural thriller Jinn, about a recently married man who discovers a curse on his family has unleashed an ancient evil. Nymphomaniac Volume 2 continues the awkwardly creepy story of a woman saved by a stranger featured in December’s trailer preview. The long-shelved thriller Something Wicked was the last movie Brittany Murphy filmed before her passing and it finally gets a release. It is about a young woman who goes through a tragedy and in her attempts to move on a menace of unknown origin does its best to keep her in terror. And finally in Under the Skin, Scarlett Johansson takes a break from her Marvel Black Widow role (yes, it is double duty for her since she is a featured player in Captain America) to play a seductress preying upon hitchhikers in the Scottish countryside in what is being labelled as a Kubrick-inspired thriller.

April 11th

Kevin Costner takes a turn as an NFL GM out to save the Cleveland franchise with a bold move in Draft Day, as his life descends into chaos. Jennifer Garner co-stars. Karen Gillan stars as a young woman out to prove her brother innocent of the murders of their parents, which she blames on a supernatural antique morrir in the horror movie Oculus. Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg return to voice-over the animated Rio 2, which will likely take the box office by storm. Nick Frost and Rashida Jones star in the silly comedy Cuban Fury, about a former UK Junior Salsa contestant who loses his confidence but finds a reason to regain it. Nicholas Cage stars as Joe Ransom, ex-con, who tries to make good in being a young boy’s protector in the simply named Joe. Kristen Wiig and Guy Pearce star in a drama about two lonely souls who may or may not be brought together by a well-meaning prank by a single dad’s teen daughter, in the movie Hateship Loveship. Tilda Swindon and Tom Hiddleston play vampires who worry about their future immortality as humans continue to contaminate themselves through the decay of civilization in the drama Only Lovers Left Alive. And in the biopic The Railway Man, a British radioman is caught in WWII Singapore and forced to slave labor building a railway line while being continuously and mercilessly tortured. Years later, his discovery that is tormentor is still alive and facing the question of reconciliation serves as the background of this story. It may be tough to find, as it is limited in release, but The railway Man starring Stellan Skaarsgard, Colin Firth, and Nicole Kidman seems like one to check out to us (at least if you don’t have the kiddies in tow!).

April 18th

The third week of the month features a completely unnecessary sequel to a spook comedy brought to you by the Wayans in A Haunted House 2. Heaven is for Real stars Greg Kinnear in what could be one of the most impactful releases this year as a boy named Colton recounts his near death experience and returns with knowledge previously not thought possible, based on a true story. In Transcendence, Johnny Depp is a scientist who is murdered by an anti-tech terror group but is able to send his consciousness into a computer to potentially disastrous and scary results. This intriguing thriller also stars Paul Bettany, Kate Mara, and Morgan Freeman. In 13 Sins a desperately indebted man is offered an end to his financial troubles if he accomplishes 13 increasingly horrible tasks as part of a game show. Alien Abduction is a sci-fi horror take on the real-life Brown Mountain Lights of North Carolina. John Turturro plays a gigolo for Woody Allen in the comedy aptly named Fading Gigolo, which also stars Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara. Shirley Knight stars as a woman in the downside of her years who decides she is not too old for a journey of discovery in the Oregon wilderness. Redwood Highway also stars Tom Skerritt. Dean Norris who is making a name for himself as a power-hungry selectmen/used car salesman in TV’s Under the Dome, also plays a used car salesman in the movie Small Time, about a kid who desires to follow his Dad’s footsteps in the business instead of going to college to much disapproval. We’ll be checking out Heaven is for Real for sure, and we encourage you to learn more about the story behind the film! But if you can’t find that movie playing in a cineplex near you, Transcendence looks very good too. Check out both trailers below.

April 25th

It won’t be the last time we are graced with the presence of Paul Walker (RIP) on our big screen, but Brick Mansions looks like a capable thriller with an undercover cop trying to take down a crime lord with a very large and destructive goal. The Other Woman stars Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Kate Upton in a comedy about a man leading a triple life and the women who come together to expose his disloyalty. Another PG-13 horror-lite movie called The Quiet Ones as a university professor runs experiments on a young abandoned girl with a team of students to expose the evil she may harbor inside her. In a tale of revenge gone wrong, a man fights to protect his estranged family in the eerie looking Blue Ruin. In the thriller The Last Passenger a man traveling with his wife and child discovers that they have boarded a train with sabotaged brakes. Locke features a dedicated working family man who receives a life-changing call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career in a movie being billed as an exceptional thriller. Two researchers create the first fully self-aware artificial intelligence that goes horribly wrong when the government co-opts the invention and weaponizes it, in The Machine. Blue Ruin looks like the winner at the close of the month. Check it out.

What are you excited about seeing this month?

Coming up will be the slightly delayed Robot God Akamatsu graphic novel review and more, so check back with us again soon!

Once per month, we will be taking a look at movies released for the upcoming month, and telling our readers where we would be spending our movie dollars each week, based on the look of the trailers. Links to the chosen trailers will be provided so you can see just what we are so excited about. Movie release dates are subject to change.

March 7th

The first week of March begins with the sequel to a big box office blockbuster, 300: Rise of an Empire, which will surely bring in another huge take. For the kids, we have Mr. Peabody & Sherman starring the voice talents of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, and Allison Janney. The big question is if their target audience will connect with characters originating from the 1950’s? The Grand Budapest Hotel starring Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Bill Murray, and many others in this ensemble cast looks to be an entertaining look at a renowned concierge who takes a young man under his wing at a five star hotel between the two world wars. Face of Love stars Ed Harris as the uncanny look-alike of a widow’s (Annette Benning) husband and the effects of their love affair. Robin Williams is in support here. Grand Piano seems to be a thriller with tons of potential starring Elijah Wood as an emotionally fragile master pianist who is tormented by a very sinister John Cusack. Also in that thriller vein is In Fear, which is a film about a young couple who get lost in the wooded backroads on their way to a hotel getaway and are tracked by a menacing threat. Iain DeCaestecker (Marvel’s Agents of Shield) and Alice Englert star. Some really good candidates for a night out at the theater amongst this group, and with their being two winners, we will give you two trailers. Here are Face of Love and Grand Piano for your viewing pleasure!

March 14th

The second week of the month has the video game turned movie Need for Speed, starring Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, and Imogen Poots. Looks more like Fast & Furious Part 14 to us! Tyler Perry’s The Single Mom’s Club will get the housewives out to the theaters with their girlfriends, but you can count the Great Stories team out on that one (at least…as long as our wives don’t make us go). Veronica Mars, starring Kristen Bell, looks to bring the popular tv show character to the big screen. The Art of Steal stars the great and powerful Kurt Russell! Add in the talents of Matt Dillon, Jay Baruchel, stuntmen in need of big paydays, grand criminal schemes, and you pretty much have all the info you need on that one. Bad Words takes Jason Bateman on another inappropriate comedic journey….this time as a man who travels around to beat little kids in spelling bees by gaining entry on a technicality (him not having graduated from 8th grade). Enemy looks like a mind-warp with Jake Gylenhaal running afoul of his doppleganger and becoming obsessed with finding out more at his peril. Patrick: Evil Awakens looks like pure grade c horror fare from the UK as a comatose hospital patient with a supernatural abilities. And The Right Kind of Wrong is a comedic drama about the tragic subject of a woman’s blog that goes mainstream as he suffers the indignity of his life exposed but then re-focuses his life in an ill-advised pursuit of a recently married neighbor. There is only one movie seemingly worth dropping the full movie ticket price…and that is Enemy. Check out the creepy trailer below!

March 21st

Week number three presents Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, and Jai Courtney. A movie about a futuristic world broken into virtue classes, and a movement to destroy those who are special (divergent). Muppets Most Wanted finds our childhood legends embroiled in a jewel heist while on tour in Europe. Bring the kiddies and the popcorn! Anita is a biopic about the Clarence Thomas hearings before congress and the woman at the center of the controversy. Maladies stars James Franco as a maladjusted soap opera writer in this quirky comedy. McCanick features David Morse as a narcotics detective on the hunt for a low level criminal who knows information on a cop’s past. Brandon Routh, Mike Vogel, and Rachel Nichols co-star. Nymphomaniac Volume One is a Lars Von Trier film (first of two volumes) that recounts a woman’s stories of deviance retold to a man who saves her life. Huge ensemble cast featuring the likes of Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsguard, Uma Thurman, Christian Slater and many more, but the subject matter may be an acquired taste. Rob the Mob is a criminal heist movie about a bunch of nobodies who decide to make it big by ripping off…you guessed it…the mob. But our pick of the week is going to be Blood Ties starring Clive Owen….this guy needs a bounce back film. Hopefully this is it!

March 28th

We finish out the month with the Biblical epic Noah, starring Russell Crowe. We hear that as part of the promotion for the film, the leading man actually met with the Pope to try and get his endorsement. Not sure how that turned out, but the movie seems to take some liberties with the history presented in the Good book. We expect bigger box office for this one than the recent Son of God, however. Sabotage stars Schwarzenegger and Terence Howard as DEA guys being hunted by a dangerous cartel. The Boys of Abu Ghraib is a re-telling of the scandalous military prison in Iraq run by American soldiers during the recent occupation starring Sean Astin and Luke Moran. Breathe In features Guy Pearce as the patriarch of a host family to an attractive European student who turns the family on end following her arrival. And Michael Pena stars in Cesar Chavez as the hero from the streets in this biopic about the labor organizer. Rosario Dawson co-stars. It’s a tough one, once again, this week! Noah and Sabotage make this one a toss-up and depending on your tastes, we don’t think you can go wrong with either one based on the trailers. Check them out!

That is it for another edition of Fresh Popped Corn. Coming up next on the blog are reviews for graphic novel Robot God Akamatsu with art and words from our friend James Biggie, as well as Jim and Chris’ picks for top comedies in an April Fool’s edition of The Honor Roll. See you back here soon!